How Much Does a Deck Cost?

A deck provides room for outdoor entertaining or relaxing, and can create the feeling of more living space in a house. They're typically made of wood -- pressure-treated wood, cedar, redwood or hardwood -- or plastic composite materials designed to look like wood.

Typical costs:

Hiring someone to construct a wood deck can cost $8-$75 or more a square foot for labor and materials, depending on whether it is built with pressure-treated wood($8-$50 or more a square foot, or about $2,560-$16,000 for 16'x20'), cedar ( $20-$75 or more a square foot, or $6,400-$24,000 for 16'x20'), redwood($30-$75 or more a square foot, or $9,600-$24,000 for 16'x20') or hardwood or ( $40-$80 or more a square foot, or $12,800-$25,600 for 16'x20'). Wood is the most traditional, common and easily available material for decks; it is typically easier to work with than composite materials.

Composite deck installation can cost $25-$70 or more a square foot (8,000 -$22,400 for 16'x20"). Typically made of recycled plastic (about 30%-50%) and wood fibers, composite decking is advertised as a low-maintenance, long-lasting (30 years or more), splinter-free material that resists rot, insects and UV rays, but the dust from installation is not biodegradable and must be collected during installation and removed from the site. Most composites come with a 10-25 year warranty.

Some of the factors affecting the total cost for any type of deck include the height; shape; number of levels; railing length, material and style; steps, staircases and landings; benches, lighting or other built-in features; and whether an old deck needs to be demolished and hauled away.

Home Depot provides instructions for building a ground-level deck[1] (16-24 hours of work) and a multi-level deck[2] (116-132 hours).

Additional costs:

Building a deck often requires a permit, depending on local regulations and the size and height of the structure. Most contractors will coordinate any permits and inspections, but the homeowner is usually responsible for paying the fees, which can be nominal or pricey, based on location.

Depending on local regulations, after the project is complete the local tax assessor may calculate how much the property has increased in value; the exact amount of any tax increase varies significantly by location and the value of the addition.

Once the deck is completed, contact your homeowners' insurance company ; tell them how much it cost to build the new deck, and they will determine the cost to add the deck to the existing policy.

A deck should be AA home.costhelper.com/cleaning-deck.html>cleaned annually ($0.25-$1.50 or more a square foot) and a wood deck might require sealing($1-$5 a square foot) or staining($0.50-$7 a square foot) every 1-2 years, depending on the type of wood and the deck's exposure to sunlight and weather.

Shopping for a deck:

The Lowe's Deck Designer[3] lets consumers pick sample decks or create a custom project, then print out a materials shopping list. Home Depot offers an index of decking materials[4] .

A deck can be installed by a handyman( or do-it-yourselfer) with strong carpentry and design skills, a landscaping contractor, a general building contractor (who may sub it out to a specialist) or a decking contractor. Ask family, friends, neighbors or the staff at local hardware or home improvement centers for recommendations. For larger projects, search for local members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry[5] , and look for "deck contractor" listed among each company's specialties.

Ask for and check references from satisfied customers; look for complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau[6] ; and confirm that the company is properly insured and licensed[7] .

Ask for a detailed explanation of the work to be done and the materials that will be used. If there is an existing deck, make sure the bid includes demolition and debris removal. HGTVremodels.com lists questions to ask a decking professional[8] .

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I can build an 8 by 8 deck with two sets of stairs for 25 a square foot usually you just need to go see how much a box of screws cost and 1 2x12x16 then tell me I'm to high and remember you don't pay cheap for a good doctor lawyer hair stylist an so on you get what you pay for remember your family's well being deck's do fall and kill

Had one half of my deck (this part was approx. 12x18) rebuilt in 2013 to match the other part, which was an add-on of all PVC in 2001. After much research, stories, "battles", over this deck for years, I would like to share some observations which may help others:First, anything/EVERYTHING in life comes with a price. Yes, even a heart operation is and should be a known cost (approx. $100,000 today). So a deck should certainly be something that you can research materials/labor cost and DECIDE for yourself whether you feel the item is worth what its price.Put a bottom line on everything; if you don't it becomes too much of a subjective thing these days with contractors because they feel the pinch of the economic times and don't want to be told what their cost and profit s/be...The 2013 deck rebuild is an example: 12x18, PVC, I bought the materials, contractor did good work AND it passed two inspections. Est. ranged $3,000 to $9,500. Did it for $3,200. For $6K or more - no way.

I received a quote for a 14ft x 15ft second level deck in Philadelphia. The material being used is white pvc railing with solar lights without the caps and trex transcend composite material. Is the $5,800 a fair place?

I have a second tier deck on a colonial home. I will be ripping it out so they can install a 24 by 16 deck since it's a second level deck instead I want stairs to have a landing instead of straight down. I'm looking for composite decking and plastic railings since it's second level. What do u think a deck would cost here in Connecticut thanks

The writer of this post has some real bad information. Lets start a list and see this persons lack of credit speak. 1. Red wood life span 20 years? Only if never taken care of. I have seen red wood decks pushing well over 50 years when maintained. Perhaps you are refering to installing it your self. 2. Virtually indestructible composits? Ovously you have never installed one of these in a desert region or had someone with a bbq call you to repair damaged planks. 3. You did not even mention the most important part of your deck, the flashing, paper and seal(s) between the ledger and your home. Sure your deck will last short of a decade but you will be calling your insurance company to repair the sudden leak in your wall a few years down the road.4. What about load caculations? I bet your unlicensed cousin/brother beefed it up so oyu can put that spa on there too. I bet he couldn't tell you the difference between live and dead load without looking it up on google first.

Dear irritated: Go ahead and build decks with your buddy hauling around tools in the trunk of your car. Customers will love that. And charge enough to cover the case of beer you imply the deck labor is worth (forget about overhead as you probably think there isn't any). And as your new business grows let me know how your buddy's $1,000 truck is handling the 300 miles per week it takes to run the business. Now, when the bills start coming in and your P&L sheet is bright red go back to your other job and show a little more respect to professionals who know what they are doing. Any builder who actually takes the time on this blog to help others is probably a builder you think charges too much. Thus, this more than likely did not get through to you.

Funny, I didn't know it required a $30,000 truck to build a deck. I helped a buddy do it a few times and I would estimate his truck to be worth about $1k. Though I have to say i'm pretty sure the tools used would have fit in the trunk of a car. You probably need all the best name brand highest-end possible tools too. I'm sure that will really increase the justified price. Let's improve the math a little. The payment and insurance on said truck is maybe $850 a month. If it takes a week or two to build a deck and we assume the customer should shoulder the entire cost of the truck then it should add maybe $30 to 500 with gas. Don't get me wrong, your knowledge and labor has value, but, I reject the math you used to become "irritated". I am not going to be paying someone $3-7k a week for the knowledge and labor required to build a deck.

I have a 12x12 screened in porch that has to be replace . It has 2 walls the other 2 is the house . This porch has a shed roof ,2ft knee wall, then windows to the ceiling . It is 3 steps off the ground . I was told it has to have 3 footings . Is this a few price , I think it is very high . Thanks for your time

Really folks...houses are devaluating in price and people are spending between $5k and and $38k for decks. The demand should be decreasing thus supply increasing - basic economic indicates cost of building decks should be going down not up. Good luck staying in business

As to "deck lady in baltimore" you state you have a masters degree and don't make $80 an hour. Well as a contractor my experience is equivalent to a master degree for my trade and I don't make $80 an hour either. I CHARGE $60 an hour, I make $20 an hour, $20 an hour goes to insurance(health, disability, liability, auto, building for shop), taxes (which self employed pay a lot more than you), accounting, licensing, etc. $20 an hour to the business for vehicle and tool replacements, office expences (computers, paper, printers, fax, heat and cooling, electric bill, phone bill, advertising, charitable donations (business is always hit up for that), membership dues NFIB,ADBA, etc. and then hopefully there is enough left over to show a profit. I bet the company you work for charges more than $80 an hour for what you do and you did not include your benefit package value that self employed does not get. We also don't get paid vacation, no work, no pay.
As to the guy that used to build in the 80's, a new truck cost $12,000 and gas was $.80 a gallon, now a "work" truck is $30,000 and gas is $3.50 a gallon and your surprised at what we charge?
Contractors work extremely hard in harsh weather and environmental conditions and put in a lot of office time (with no pay) that no one sees except his family. We make a "good" living but not getting rich by any means. The people I find that complain the most about our fees are the people living in a house twice the size of ours and driving cars that cost 3 times as much and doing projects that we can't afford to do to our own home when labor is free.
I heard this years ago but it is true, there ae 3 ways to have a job done, fast, cheap, high quality but you can only choose 2. If cheap and fast it won't be high quality. If fast and high quality it won't be cheap. If cheap and high quality it won't be fast.

Central Pa.. Getting a crappy deck replaced- we already ripped out the old decking. A guy who works full time in contracting will be doing this as a side job. The deck is 12x16 and is a ground level deck- no steps, no railing. His labor charge is 1500..does this seam fair? Building materials are around 1000 pre-tax and pre-delivery.

I went around a few places to get other material estimates and one place was surprised that he was using rafter ties instead of Joist Hangers. When I asked about this, he said that there isn't much space to work with.. which is true, as the deck is basically at ground level and will require some digging.

I would let some guy friends do it- however I want to sell within a year and would rather not experiment at the risk of screwing it up and having to fix things at settlement.

I am a contractor, these prices are that high because of materials, fuel, insurances, employees, tools and experience. I dont know if youve gone shopping lately or just stopped by the gas station everything is going up in price. I charge in upwords of $32sq/ft for composite decking and vinyl railings all rim boards are always wrapped in composite or vinyl and stairs also. This is how we make our living. If something took you two weeks to build abd you only make $1000 dollars you would never stay in business. This is how we as contractors feed our families and pay our bills. Just get a couple estimates make sure they are giving you a full scope of work so you can make sure all contractors are giving you the same products. Then choose what one you like the best. And understand that we too have to feed our families and make a living. Don't complain, its taken many of us contractor years of blood,sweat and tears to master our trades. Good luck to all, on all of your projects.

Some of the previous 'handymen' who put up decks without professional knowledge of construction techniques are asking for a possible disaster. Unless you are trained and have knowledge of how the deck is supposed to be fastened to the existing structure (if it is) or you know the lateral forces on a free standing deck, the deck could collapse and injury or death could occur. Leave the deck building to capable professionals...

850 usable square feet of Trex accents woodland brown flooring space out the back of our walkout house, deck off main level up in the air about 9-12’ due to sloping back yard. Deck is technically 4 separate areas on one plane sorta separated by the columns – main deck, existing deck, extension deck, and stair deck where the two stairs drop off of. It's elevated on 6x6 posts which are sheathed by 2' square OSB and veneer rock on top of that - there are 8 columns like this about 9-14' tall. New frame is all 2x12 PT. An existing builder built deck about 14x8 with 2x10's as frame stayed in place and was re-topped in the Trex. Two stair cases, one is about 16' long the other is 4' long. We poured 3 new caissons included in above cost. 5 caissons (2 existing and 3 newer) were already there - the 3 newer due to walkout patio concrete work the year before, not included in the price above. Also included in price is about a 20’ x 4’ small sidewalk we had to install for access to the small staircase. Price includes custom mid-grade powder coated steel railing (not Trex) around the whole thing, about 73' linear straights and 36' linear on the stairs. Contractor caulked each deck frame joint with high-end elastic caulk. Price includes about 4500 square feet of veneer rock (link-n-stick) for the columns and it’s install. Also includes wiring two post lamps with conduit, circuit breaker, and indoor mounted switch. County permit price included as well as well as engineering plans with deck and concrete. Deck is in Colorado. Contractor worked as time and materials + 10%. Deck took about 2 months to finish due to some complex issues encountered and my lack of complete planning sometimes as I was part-GC on this project along with my deck contractor. Most non deck work was contracted out as RFP bids – such as rails, electrical, concrete. May 2012 (not May 2011 as this form says)

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A very long driveway! 50 YARDSPaid: 40.00Gave a $10 tip, so a total of $50. He ran truck thru driveway and hand shoveled the sidewalks, deck and steps. I tried to get a head start last night -but overnight the drifts grew to 5 and 6 feet or more... [more]

Geo-ThermalPaid: 0.00We purchased a home built in 1992 with a Geo-Thermal. We were so excited, now we are Not impressed. Yes it is quieter, but the savings are not significant. Every year we have an issue and very few companies work on them... [more]

InterpreterPaid: 200.00$200 was the best money ever spend in hiring Albanian court interpreter Mr Oliver Kici to interpret for a deposition my mother had on December of 2014 Having a professional interpreter made a huge difference on the way the deposition was h... [more]